Structure for airplane wings



Nov. 18, 1952- R, A. ROBERT si'RucwaE FOR AIRPLANE WINGS 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 7 Filed Dec'. 14, 1945-- 5 w x W R. A. ROBERT STRUCTURE FOR AIRPLANE WINGS Nov. 18, 1952 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 14, 1945 NOV. 18, 1952 ROBERT 2,618,448

STRUCTURE FOR AIRPLANE WINGS 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec; 14, 1945 Nov. 18, 1952' A, RQBERT 2,618,448

STRUCTURE FOR AIRPLANE WINGS Filed Dec. 14, 1945 '7 Sheets-Sheet 4 E0052 4M5 P051587.

Nov. 18, 1952 R; A. ROBERT STRUCTURE FOR KIRPLANE WINGS Filed Dec. 14, 1945 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Nov. 18, 1952 R. 'A. ROBERT STRUCTURE FOR AIRPLANE WINGS 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed Dec. 14, 1945 Nov. 18,1952 A. ROBERT 2,618,448

STRUCTURE FOR AIRPLANE wmcs Filed Dec. 14, 1945 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 Patented Nov. 18, 195 2 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application December 14, 1945, Serial No. 634,933 In France December 12, 1941 Section 1, Public Law 690, August 8, 1946 Patent expires December 12, 1961 1 Claim. (01. 244-123) The invention relates to an aircrafts wing with amain spar or beam to withstand to bending forces, and a secondary structure assuring resistance to the torsion and the drag forces.

The invention aims at combining and assembling these elements in such a way that this secondary structure will form a liquid-tight closed container.

The disposition according to the invention applies more particularly to wings in which the flanges of the main spar are of non-weldable material and in which the secondary structure is of weldable material. It has the advantage of relieving the weldings as much as possible of the concentration of strains introduced by connecting parts such as fittings for the attachment of the wing to the fuselage.

An object of the invention is therefore to realize an inner structure for aircrafts wing which is completely liquid-tight and in which the liquid-tight connections are carried out by welding, notwithstanding the fact that certain parts of the structure are of a non-weldable material.

Another object of the invention is to obtain an inner liquid-tight'structure for an airplanes wing, in which the liquid-tight connections at the joint of said structure to an adjacent similar structure or to another part of the airplane such as a fuselage is practically relieved of the transmission of stresses likely to compromise the liquid-tightness of said joint.

Another object of the invention is to obtain an inner liquid-tight structure for an airplanes wing which will distribute the torsion and drag stresses to which the wing is subjected and transmit them to the adjacent parts.

Still another object of the invention is a process for the fabrication of inner liquid-tight structures for airplanes wings, ready to be applied immediately to the construction of wing panels or of entire wings of airplanes of very different types.

The invention is described hereafter in an em bodiment chosen as an example, and in reference to the annexed drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a cross-section of an airplanes wing, comprising a structure according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is an exploded view of such a structure, in transverse section, one of the elements being on a larger scale in order to show more clearly the thicknesses;

Fig. 3 is a front view of an end transverse partition of the structure;

Fig. 4 is a front view of a terminal tightening partition, adjacent to the end transverse partition'of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 shows one end of the structure, in a spanwise section taken along the mid-plan of the mam spar;

Fig. 6 is a spanwise or longitudinal section, taken along line 6-6 of Fig. 3;

Fig. '7 is a diagrammatic view of an airplane, partially in cross-section, built according to the invention;

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. '7 but on a larger scale showing a device for the assembly of two wing structure elements according to the invention; and

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of parts of the assembling device of Fig. 8.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, one sees that the wing structure of the invention presents a main spar I with flanges 2 and 3 made of a nonweldable material and having a shape and profile adapted to the distribution of stresses along the wing, but mainly to withstand the bending moments applied to the wing. The flanges 2 and 3 are interconnected in the usual way by one or several webstwo in the example shown, 4 and 5. These webs are made of weldable or nonweldable material and are united to the flanges 2 and 3 by rows of rivetsB and 1. Each flange 2 and 3 carries a cap strip, respectively 8 and 9, of weldable material and suitable shape, to which they are connected by rows of rivets H), H, respectively l2 and I3. The purpose of these strips will be described later on.

This skeleton is completed by transverse or fore-and-aft partitions l4 spaced along the main spar I. To this end the webs 4 and 5 carry, at regular intervals or not, angle fittings l5 and I6, which may be secured to the webs by welding or riveting. On each angle fitting I5 is attached, for instance by a row of rivets ll, a half-partition [8 of appropriate shape and which may be provided with reinforcing ribs or corrugations IS. The edge of the half-partition i8 is formed by angle fittings 20 secured thereto by welding or riveting and in which are provided spaced notches 2|, the function of which will be explained later. On the web 5 is attached, in a similar way, by the intermediary of the angle fittings IS a series of complementary half-partitions 22.

An upper covering panel '23 and a lower covering panel 24, in weldable material, are attached, by welding, on the cap strips 8 and 9, and on the angle fittings 20 of partitions ll. These panels are reinforced by outer transverse stiffening stringers 25 and inner longitudinal stringers 26. These latter are located in the notches 2| provided for this purpose in the partition [4. The stringers 25 and 26 are in weldable material and are welded to their corresponding panel. These panels have longitudinal edges 21.

The panels 23 and 24 are attached, by welding of their edges 21 with corresponding edges 28, to a front panel 29 and a rear panel 39. On the front and rear panels are connected from place to place, by welding, elements of partition, respectively 3| and 32 which complete the halfpartitions I8 and 22. Each of the partition elements 3I and 32 is provided with a flange 33 which fits against a corresponding flange 34 of the half-partition I8 or 22. The partition element 3I carries a centering stud which cooperates with a corresponding socket 36 provided in the half-partition I8, while the partition element 32 and the half-partition 22 present also, respectively, a centering stud 31 and a socket 38.

Outer stringers 42 and 43 are carried on panels 29 and 30 and prolong the stringers 25 of panels 23 and 24.

Fig. 1 shows, in transverse section, the finished structure and the wing placed on this structure. The wing has front ribs 44 and rear ribs 45, fixed on the outer stringers 25, 42 and 43 by appropriate means such as screws, bolts, etc. The skin 4! of the wing is disposed directly on the ribs 44 and 45 and is fixed thereto by appropriate means such as glue, screws, rivets, bolts, etc. according to the nature of the material employed.

The structure according to the invention has a certain number of partitions I4 distributed throughout its length.

Now will be described, in reference to Figs. 3 to 6, the constitution of the ends of such a structure for its liquid-tight connection, either with a similar structure, or with another part of the airplane, such as the fuselage.

The flanges 2 and 3 of the main spar I terminate with a cap, ball joint, or similar device, in view of its connection with the adjacent part. In the example shown, the flange 2 terminates with a tapped hole 48 for the fixation of a ball 49, of which the tail 53 is correspondingly threaded. The flange 3 terminates also with a ball I. The balls 49 and 5I are located in spherical sockets or similar contrivances 52 and 53, which are fixed, for instance, by screwing, on the adjacent part of the airplane.

The end transverse partition 55 of the structure is preferably made in a single piece. This partition may be of greater thickness than the other transverse partitions I4. It carries further, preferably, strengthening parts, horizontal 56 on one of its faces and vertical 5'! on the other, and it is fixed on the webs 4 and 5 of the spa through the angle fittings I5 and IS. The partition 55 has an upper hole 58 for the passage of the end 59 of the flange 2 in which is tapped the hole 48 and a lower hole 69 for the passage of the end BI of the flange 3. Around holes 58 and 60, the partition 55 is reinforced by gusset plates 62 and 82a, fixed by riveting or otherwise.

On partition 55 are attached, by riveting for instance, brackets 63 and 64 for carrying tubular supports or sockets 65 and 65. These tubular supports or sockets 65 and 66 receive ivots 13 formed on the adjacent part of the airplane to which the structure has to be connected. In this way, the torsion supported by the structure under consideration is transferred to the adjacent portion of the aircraft.

Partition 55 is edged peripherally by an angle fitting 14 on which the panels 23, 24, 29 and 30 are welded. It can be seen in Figure 5 that the distance between the upper and lower panels 23 and 24 respectively and the median plane of the wing, at the point where they are secured to this end partition 55, is greate than at the points where they are secured to the other transverse partitions of the structure.

A terminal tightening partition I1 (Fig. 4) completes the liquid-tightness of the structure. This partition presents holes I8 and I9 for the passage of flange ends 59 and 6|, and holes 89 and 8! for the passage of tubular sockets 65 and 66. This partition, relatively thin, is formed so as to present some degree of elasticity in its own plan, in order to reserve to stronger partition 55 the distribution and the transfer of the stresses. In order to enhance this elasticity, the partition TI possesses corrugations 82.

On partition 'I! are tightly attached, for instance by welding, collarettes surrounding the cylindrical flange ends 59, 6| traversing the said partition. Between the collarette 83, surrounding the end 59 and a nut 84 screwed on a threaded part of said end, is pressed a tightening packing 85. Thus a perfect liquid-tightness is obtained for the crossing of each of the connecting parts of the structure to the adjacent portion of the aircraft.

In the front and at the rea of the structure are fixed connecting parts 86 and 81 (Fig. 4'), through angle fittings 88 and 89 welded on the external side of the front and rear panels 29 and 30. The connecting parts and 87 have a hole, respectively 90 and 9 I.

Instead of being united directly one to the other, as has just been described, two adjacent structures, or a structure and an adjacent portion of the airplane, may be united through an intermediate connecting device which will now be described, with reference to Figs. 8 and 9. This connecting device (Fig. 9) has two tubular parts 92 and 93 terminating with threads 52a and 53a to receive thereon the tapped ends of the sockets 52, 53 of the ball joints of two adjacent structures, Or of one structure and an adjacent portion of the airplane. The device has also two other tubular parts 96 and 9'! whose ends are two pivots 13 for the connection with the adjacent structures. These four tubular parts are, in the example shown, united together by a framework made of welded tubular braces.

On Fig. 7 has been shown, in a diagrammatic transversal view, an airplane built according to the invention and having two fuselages. This airplane has a central structure I06 built according to the invention, as described above, and connected by two connecting devices I01 and I08 to two lateral wing structures I09 and III), also built according to the invention. The connecting devices I01 and I98 are used, further, for the connection of the three structures I09, I06, IIO to the two fuselages III and H2 of the airplane. The connection between the device I08 and the structures I08 and H9, as well as to the fuselage H2, is shown in Fig. 8. The connecting device I08 presents, for the junction to the fuselage I I2,

a tenon II3 hinged in the forked end II4 of a fitting II5 fixed on the fuselage I I2. The tenon II3 is connected to the tubular parts 93 and 96 of the connecting device by the tubular braces shown in Fig. 9. The front part of the connecting device I98 comprises also a sleeve I20 in which is disposed, with some clearance or play, a bolt I23 intended to be introduced, also with some clearance, in the connecting parts 86 of the adjacent structures. The connecting device has a similar rear tenon I26 and a rear sleeve I21 for the union through a bolt, of the two rear connecting parts 87.

The intermediate structure IDS is further connected to the skeleton of the fuselage II2 by an attachment I28 crossing the lower panel 24 through a cylindrical part; the tightness of this crossing is obtained in a, way similar to the one used for the connecting parts interposed between the structures. The attachment I28 is prolonged inside the intermediate structure I06 and is disposed between two partitions I Ia and [4b of this structure to which it is fixed for instance by bolts. The attachment I28 completes thus by use of a minimum of connecting parts, the connection of the fuselage I I2 to the central or intermediate structure I06. At the junction of the attachment I28 to the fuselage II2, that is to say between the tenon of said attachment and the bearing fork carried by the fuselage, a transversal clearance is advantageously provided.

Having described my invention, What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

A wing structure for airplane, comprising: a main spar; transverse rib-partitions in two halves connected each to this spar by their inner adjacent edges; and a continuous inner envelope made of a front, rear, upper and lower assembled panels, the front and rear panels having transverse rib-partition elements co-extensive with 6 each of said halves and interconnected thereto by overlap of their adjacent edges and male and female centering means, carried respectively by said elements and by said halves cooperating to effect the connection of said elements to said halves.

ROGER AIME ROBERT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,616,008 Stout Feb. 1, 1927 1,785,318 Lambert Dec. 16, 1930 1,875,651 Phelan Sept. 6, 1932 1,887,627 Finger l Nov. 15, 1932 1,902,956 Hughes Mar. 28, 1933 2,242,147 Salisbury May 13, 1941 2,347,542 Cyron et a1 Apr. 25, 1944 2,382,950 Watter Aug. 14, 1945 2,386,170 Watter Oct. 2, 1945 2,397,184 Klose Mar. 26, 1946 2,407,614 Montgomery et a1. Sept. 10, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 363,262 Great Britain Dec. 17, 1931 387,719 Great Britain Feb. 13, 1933 

